Sunday, 25 December 2016

This cover from Bath to Reading in April 1861 has a nice "MORE TO PAY / OVER OZ" cachet and a manuscript "2" with initials.

This next item was addressed to Clifton from Bridgwater in May 1883 but has a manuscript "Not Known" with initials. The contents are a notice regarding the Somersetshire Drainage Act of 1877.

This next item from Weston-super-Mare to Cork in June 1942 was insufficiently paid and was censored. The Examiner has taken the trouble to write "The" on the censorship seal where it overlaid the original address.

And finally a windowed envelope from Taunton in March 1992 without a stamp. By then postage due of double the deficiency had been replaced with the postage deficiency plus a handling fee. In this case it was cheaper than double the deficiency would have been.

Sunday, 18 December 2016

In 1839 new types of village Penny Post handstamps started to be introduced (just in time to be made unnecessary with the introduction of the uniform penny post). Five such handstamps were introduced under Bristol - Brockley, Knowle, Redland, Westbury-on-Trym and Whitchurch. The handstamps were used for approximately ten years.

Wednesday, 7 December 2016

Weston-super-Mare had the boxed "No.2" receiving house handstamp in the Cross Penny Post. Here is an example from September 1831.

Dunster had the boxed "No.4" receiving house handstamp in the Taunton Fifth Clause Post up to 1828 (Mr Luttrell of Dunster Castle objecting to any conversion to Penny Post because he would then have to pay for his newspapers' delivery in the post). This example is from April 1825.

Here is an example of the Dunster undated circular handstamp from August 1846 with the date written in manuscript inside the handstamp.

This pre-printed insturance letter was initially sent to "Wells, Somerset or Stratton near Chilcompton, Bath" and then returned from Old Down to London in July 1830.

Sunday, 4 December 2016

This fairly common "CHARD / 142" handstamp from 1817 has some interesting comments, being instructions to book "a place in the Maid to Chard, no other Coach passes through Chard", with the writer saying that he would meet the coach at "Windowhistle" (now Windwhistle) "if the weather be fine and the lanes passable".

Two examples of another fairly common handstamp, the "FROME / 115" handstamp, from 1825 and 1826. The first example appears to have been posted on Christmas Day.

And finally two examples of the undated circular "MARTOCK / 126" handstamp, from 1826 and 1827.